Closet



(M el.)

B LER.

LOSET,

Pateqted Apr 23, 1895.-

ST TES must ATENT HERBERT E. KEELER, OF NEW'YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ADAMS &

WESTLAKE COMPANY, OF ILLINOIS. I

CLOSET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,168, dated April 23, 1895.

Application filed February 21, 1895. Serial No. 539,260. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT E, KEELER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful In;- provements in Closets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is intended, more particularly, for use on railroad cars and upon steamships and steamboats, but is applicable to more general use; and may be employed with dry closets or those flushed by water.

The invention is specially adapted for use with that class of closets in which the seat is constructed to be raised from the bowl or hopper in order to allow it to be conveniently and neatly used as a urinal or slop receptaole; and its object is to prevent urine when voided or water thrown into the bowl or hopper from passing through the seat-opening and finding its way to, and thussoiling or wetting, the outer surface of the seat.

The invention is applicable to a closet having a. seat and lid capableof being raised together, as shown for example in the application of P. G. Emery, filed of even date herewith; or it may be used Where the seat and lid are independently raised, or even where the seat is unaccompanied with a lid, provided its use is confined to that class of closets in which the seat is susceptible of and adapted for being raised for the purposes named.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure1is a perspective view, partly in dotted lines, of a closet embodying my invention, the seat being down and the lid up. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the seat being raised. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on enlarged scale, of a detail of the invention.

Similar figures of reference indicate similar parts in the respective views.

1 represents the woodwork or casing forming part of the closet fixture.

2 is the bowl or hopper, preferably constructed of porcelain. To the ledge or projection 3 forming a part of the casing 1 is hinged the seat 4,whi1e to the same ledge may be hinged a lid 5.

To the under side of the seat tis hinged an apron or shield 6 of substantially the shape of the seat-opening, but somewhat larger so as, when hanging in the operative position indicated in Fig. 2, to overlap the edges of said opening. The apron or shield is intended to swing by gravity and is provided with pins or pintles 6 which rest and partially turn in bearings 7" of a hinging plate 7 secured to the under side of the seat 4 by screws or otherwise. The plate 7 as shown more particularly in Fig. 3, is furnished with an edge or elongated shoulder 7 of a length equal to that of the part of the apron or shield between the pins 6*, the function or office of which shoulder is to check the outward swinging movement of the apron when the seat is in the act of being lowered, and keep said apron from striking against the front inner surface of the bowl or hopper and damaging the same. The normal position of the apron, when the seat is down, is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, from which it will be seen that it hangs free from contact with'thebowl or hopper, forming no obstruction to the use of the seat for its accustomed purpose. The outer surface of the apron is as shown in Fig. 3, slightly convex, and any water striking it will the more readily be deflected from it and enter the'bowl or hopper; while anywater temporarily resting upon it will tend to drain toward the flat flanged periphery of the apron and thence to the bowl or hopper.

This invention entirely obviates the danger of water reaching the outer surface of the seat.

With seats unprovidcd with this improvement, water striking the under side of the seat when the later is raised is apt to run over the edges of the opening and find its way to the outer surface, with most objection able results.

The apron or shield may be made of any suitable material, but I "prefer sheet metal covered with enamel.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a closet of the character described, a hinged seat adapted to be raised, combined with an apron or shield so hinged to the under side thereof in relation to the seat open ing asto cover said opening when the seat is raised, substantially as set forth.

2. In a closet of the character described, a bowl or hopper and a hinged seat, the latter adapted to be raised, combined with a gravity apron or shield so hinged to the under side of I the seat in relation'to the opening thereof as t relation to theopening thereof as'to olosethe I to cover the same when the'seat is raised,- same when the seatis raised, substantially as I and a stopforlimiting the forward swinging setforth, I

' I movement of the apron or shield, substan- I ,In testimony whereof I hereto set my hand 5 tially as set forth. and seal.

"0. In a closetof the character desembems I HERBERT E; KEELER [L S] I bowl or hopper and ahinged seat, the latter adapted to be raised, combined with an apron Vitnesses;

or shield having a concavo-oonvexsurface, A; L. WATSON, to and so hinged to the underside of the seat in F. G. DICKSON., 

